Bean and pea harvester and separator.



R. L. SPIKES. BEAN AND PEA HARVESTER AND SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION HLE FEB-.7,1915.

Patented Mm. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l tra R. L.`SPIKES.

BEAN AND PEA HARVESTER AND SEPARATOR.

' APPLICATIQN FILED FEB. I. 19.16.

1,21 8,01 1. Patented MaI-6, 1917.

- gathering I pods are directed to proper position to be consists in theimproved :ROBERT L. SPIRES, 0F FARMVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

BEAN AND PEA HARVESTER AND SEPARATOR.

Application filed February 7, 1916.

To all ywhom it may comer/n:

Be it known that I, RonERT L. Sriucs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Farmville, in the county of Pitt and State of NorthCarolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bean and'P ea Harvesters and Separators, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to harvesting machinery and moreparticularly to harvesters for gathering beans, peas and the like and atthe same time separating the berries from the vines, pods and otherparticles of a more or less deleterious nature.

The invention isv designed to provide novel means whereby the berriesand separated. from the vines and also 'to provide means for separatingbroken pods, vines and the like from the berries with the result thatthe product when harvested is ready for the market. i

Vith these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the s ame construction andnovel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafterlirst fully described and then particularly set forth inthe;

claims. A

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferredform of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitationis-necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited,but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of theinvention as claimed may be resorted to when desired.v

Referring to the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a vertical central longitudinal section of a harvesterembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof with parts in horizontal section. w iT he harvester is mounted so as to travel over the field, and, as shown,comprises an axle 1 and ground wheels 2. A suitable frame 3 is 'mountedupon the axle and receives the working parts and is adapted to have thepropelling force applied thereto in any manner, the drawing showing adraft pole or tongue 4 extending from the front Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917'. .serial No. 76,637.

end of the frame which is convex or curved so as to readily pass overbushes or past other objects. The gathering mechanisnris located at -theforward end of the machine and the separating mechanism is disposed atthe rear of the machine while an elevator is located between the ends ofthe machine and delivers the product from the gathering 4mechanism tothe separator'. A V-shaped guide A5 .is located at the `forward end ofthe machinelahd directs the heads of the vines to a central point so asto be acted upon by the rely or beater 6 by means of which the pods aredetached from the vines or are opened so as torelease the berries whichare received upon a pan 7 at the rear of the guide. The guide 5 isdisposed atr such a levelA asto engage with the vines and `direct thepods to a position where they will be acted upon by the beater or reel.The pan 7 for receiving the product when harvested forms the bottom ofthe frame and may merge into a cover 8. The pan is preferablyconstructed of sheet metal and embodies portions which extend alongopposite sides of the guide 5 and beneath the'vertical sides of thefrime and inclines downwardly and rearwardly as shown.

The beater or reel is arranged above the guide 5 and pan 7 and comprisesa shaft 11 and arms 12 carried therebv. A beveled gear 13 is secured toone end of the reel shaft and meshes with a bevel pinion 14 secured tothe upper forward end of a shaft 15 which is mounted on the frame at oneside of the machine. A pinion 16 at the lower end of the shaft l5 mesheswith a gear wheel 17 secured to one end of a shaft 1S which is arrangedtransversely on the frame in rear of the axle 1 and is driven from thesame. The reel or beater is driven so asto rotate in an anti-clockwisedirection whereby to strike the vines and drive the pods and berriesdetached therefrom rearward to drop upon the pan.

An elevator is located in the rear of the pan and is adapted to receivethe product therefrom and deliver the same to the separator. Theelevator comprises endless sprocket chains 19 which pass aroundsprockbtwheels 2O secured toY the shaft 18 and other sprocket Wheels 21secured on a "lhe elevator comprises"` buckets shaft 22 which is locatedabove and in rear of the shaft 18. The sprocket chains 19 also passaround sprocket wheels 9 which are loose on the axle 1 and held againstlongitudinal movementJ thereon by stop collars 10. 23 and toothed slatsQ4 secured to and extending between the sprocket chains7` the slats andbuckets being arranged alternately as clearly shown. The toothed slatsengage the vines and pods and carry them upwardly to the separator whilethe buckets take up the berries and deliver them to the separator. Theshaft 18 actuates the elevator and the beater G and is driven by a gearWheel 25' on the axle which meshes with a pinion 2,6 on the end of theshaft. t

The separator comprises a plurality of screens 27 and 28 located at therear end ot' the machine in position to receivey the product from theelevator, and it will be noted upon reference to Fig. L that a plate 2i)forming, in eifect, a prolongation of the pan, extends from the rear endof the pan under the elevator to the separator so that anyberrics whichmay drop from the elevator will be saved and will return to the pan tobe again taken up by the elevator. 'lhe screens may be reciprocated inany manner and are supported by a plurality ot' links 30. The shaft isprovided with crank arms 8l which are connected by rods 32 with some ofthe links 30 so as to insure a vibratory movement being imparted tothescparating screens.

receptacle 33 is located below the separator to receive the berries,access to the receptacle being had by means of a door 34 provided in aside thereof. 'lhe vines, pods and like material delivered by means ot'theelevator to the separator are discharged at the rear ends of theseparating screens wlrereas the berries and smallparticles'pass'throughfthe meshes oi the screen. The small particlesotbroken pods and` vines are carried oill by means of anair blast whichis delivered through the separator. The berries being heavy are notmaterially ali'ected by the blast of air, hence drop into the receptaclebut the light particles are carried oli with the blast, A fan. 235located in the space formed between the elevator and receptacle and itsspout t' is arrangedto deliver a blast across and through the screens ofthe separator so as lo carry olf light particles. A gear wheel il?secured on one end ot the fan shaft is in mesh with a pinion S'securedto one end ot' a shaft 39 which is mounted on the side of the frame andhas its opposite end provided with a pinion 40 which is in mesh with thegear wheel 17. By the means thus set forth the fan is operated. Abovethe separator'is a second beater 4l which has its shaft mounted insuitable bearings on BEST AVAILABLE coP Limon the frame and equippedwith a pinion 42 at one end which meshes with a pinion 43 on the end ofa shaft i-l, a pinion l5 at the opposite end of said shaft .meshing witha pinion lli on the end of the shaft 22 as shown in F ig. 2.

It is to be remembered that beans, peas and the like are planted in rowsand in (the harvesting thereof the machine is ad- 'vanced over the fieldin such a manner as to cause the vines to enter the open end of theguide 5. port to the vines which latter are acted upon by means of thebeater or reel (i which breaks the pods from lthe vines or liberates theberries from the pod. The action of ythe beater or reel is such as toseparate the berries and pods from the vines and portions of the latterare broken olf and are received in the pan together with the pods andberries. The mass of material received upon the pan moves' rearward andthe liber atcd berries collect at the rear of the pan and are taken upby the buckets of the clevator and delivered to the separator. Thebroken vines and po'ls are engaged by the toothed portions of theelevator and are likewise carried upward and delivered to the separator.The larger parts of the vines and pods are swept over the separator bythe beater 41 and drop upon the ground` while the berries and smallparticles pass through the meshes of the screens and are subjected tothe blast of air. The berries continue to fall and drop into thereceptacle whereas the small particles are deflected and carried offwith the blast `of air. It will thus be understood that the machineharvests and cleans the berries at one operation, thereby avoiding thenecessity for a second handling ot the product in order to separatethesame when preparing the berriesfeither for market orto be cannedor-otherwse conserved for future use. As the: lower end of the elevatoris extended around and in advance of the axle, the vines cannot lodgeand pack on the axle but will positively be taken up by the elevator. Adrivers seat 47- is provided on the front end of the frame. f

.The guide gives proper sup' Having thus described the invention,`

what is claimed as new is: i.

l. In a harvester oi the character set forth. the combination ofgathering means,

a longitudinallvextending pan arranged to receive the product from; thegathering means, a separator, an elevatorarranged to convey the productfrom the pan to the .sei'mratorn and a plate extending from and forminga prolongation of the bottom of the pan under the elevator to ytheseparator. A

lthe frame at the bottom thereof. and haring front ends of the pan andthe cover, and an upwardly curved front end meeting the a con"eyer atthe rear of the pan, the pan don'mvardly Curved front end of the cover;h1'. ving an upwardly extending prolonga- 10 a guide located centrallyin the front end tion arranged in proximity to the. oonveyer.

5 of the pan, a beater mounted within the In testimony whereof I ailixmy signature.

frame above the guide and the front end of the pan and concentric withthe curved ROBERT L. SPIKES.'l [L.s.]

